What are some other applications for aerogels?
There are hundreds of potential uses. They include thermal insulation for a wide variety of products, as catalysts, catalyst, substrates and adsorbents. There are numerous possible uses for composites with other materials. One example is capacitive deionization. The application of an electric field to electrodes formed from this material could be used for water purification. Other examples of applications for aerogels (including composites made from them) include a medium for detecting radiation, cosmetics, toothpaste, composite structures, reinforcing agents for organic rubbers, pigments for ink jet printers, electro-chemical storage devices, media for gas separations or storage, carriers for controlled release agents, electrodes for fuel cells, noble metal catalyst supports, atomic particle detectors, sensors for oxygen and other gasses and even surfboards.
